Dancing With The Stars

The big to-do on this seventh week on “Dancing With the Stars: All-Stars” was the introduction of the Dance Fusions, in which each couple mixed two different ballroom styles with one song. According to the judges, the biggest challenge would be to maintain the character of the dance. The pro has his/her work cut out for him/her, because they have to come up with a strategy that suits each celebrity's style. Mostly, Len wanted to see decent amounts of both dances: “To win something special, you've got to do something special.” To give us a taste of the routines to come, Henry Byalikov from the Troupe choreographed a crisp and clean mutant super-dance hybrid for the Troupe and that featured Anna Trebunskaya, Louis Van Amstel, Tristan MacManus(!

“Dancing With the Stars” Season 16's semifinals are upon us, ballroom fans! And we were treated to two full dances from the five remaining couples - one a regular dance, and one a never before seen dance chosen for each couple by a Twitter republic. We got Afro Jazz! The Lindy Hop! A Flamenco! A tie for first place! And a whole slew of perfect 30 scores! Who has the Mirrorball in their court, and who is primed to get their sparkles ripped from them just one week shy of the finals?

It's a very special evening, ballroom fans. The All-Stars season is finally upon us! And this “celebration of the best of the best” is like a who's who of “Dancing With the Stars”-dom. Former champions and also-rans! Controversial figures! Boy banders! Olympians! Each couple performed a fox trot or the cha-cha. Though with so many shiny stars swirling and twirling around in the coveted Mirrorball trophy's glittery orbit, it was hard to focus on just one. As head judge Len Goodman said, what was good has to be great, and what was great has to be exceptional.

Green Bay Packers receiver Donald Driver is in this week's finale of "Dancing with the Stars", and has an excellent chance of joining the list of athletes who have won the ballroom dance competition. He may have a better chance after a group of Wisconsin athletes, politicians and one Milwaukee Bucks mascot banded together for a video urging people to vote for Driver. If the video inspires the entire Packer Nation to vote his way, Driver could win pretty handily, because the winner is based on a combination of judges' scores and fan votes.

Paula Abdul is back - this time on "Dancing With the Stars. " ABC announced late Monday that the former "American Idol" judge will be a guest judge on the dance competition for next Monday's show, joining the panel in the midst of a season devoted to all-star contestants from past cycles, including Bristol Palin and Kirstie Alley. The 1980s pop diva, who turned 50 this past summer, has taken a low profile since she got booted earlier this...

The Times is pleased to have Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones guest-blogging for us while he competes on "Dancing With the Stars. " Each week while he competes on the show, Jones will answer a few questions from Sports Now editor Houston Mitchell and give some insight into the competition. Here are Jones' thoughts about Week 2, which he offered via email. Q. Have you taken any flak from your Ravens teammates after your dances so far this season? Not at all. Actually, all of my teammates really want me to win. They all call me up and say, "You better not lose.

Helio Castroneves is a three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. Now the Brazilian driver wants to be a two-time winner of "Dancing With the Stars. " Castroneves joins other former winners and fan favorites in this season's contest that starts Monday night on ABC. But he'll have a different partner as he seeks a second mirror ball trophy. When he won the show's fifth season in 2007, the effervescent Castroneves was paired with professional dancer Julianne Hough. This time his partner is Chelsie Hightower as Castroneves faces such celebrity rivals as Bristol Palin, Emmitt Smith and Kirstie Alley.